


So What if You Never Come Back Again?

by Beckon



Category: Mortal Kombat (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Brothers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Guilt, Heart-to-Heart, Heavy Angst, Just let them be nice, MK11 - Freeform, Mentions of Death, Minor AU, Minor Injuries, Self-blaming, Unresolved, Vomiting, to each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:48:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27666338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beckon/pseuds/Beckon
Summary: "We grew up together, we trained together- we did everything together," Liu Kang continued. "You're the only family I have. And I can't shake the thought that I just sat there and did nothing- that I just sat there and let you die."
Comments: 1
Kudos: 22





	So What if You Never Come Back Again?

**Author's Note:**

> How the idea started: Okay so, MK11 starts off with the Earthrealm characters in the koliseum, and Raiden mentions that Kung Lao had just defeated Goro. I know it's just part of the story, but Kung Lao was in perfect condition- which would seem to imply that Goro landed zero hits on him. [And given how his AI teleports all the time, it's a possibility.] BUT as much as I love my boy, I doubt he dodged four arms simultaneously. Anyways, I liked the idea of him coming straight out of that Goro fight and into the MK11 alternate universe looking like he just fought a Shokan Prince- so basically a little fucked up. 
> 
> How the idea ended up here: If Kung Lao had just defeated Goro, he legit just avoided his own death by like seconds. So let's run with both those ideas and throw some angst in there for good measure.

"Are you alright?"

Kung Lao barely heard the question over the dull pounding in his head.

And even then, he barely paid much attention to the ongoing headache.

Especially given that most of his focus was on the tight pull in his stomach; the one that threatened yet another vomiting session if he wasn't careful. He tried to take in a few deep breaths to ease the strictness in his chest, to figure out whether he was going to vomit again or not, before he risked slowly straightening himself up.

And he hoped the rush of blood wouldn't immediately go to his head again.

He had absolutely no doubts that he would pass out this time if it did.

"I'm fine," he replied- and Kung Lao was pretty certain that his answer wouldn't be taken seriously. Not that he was helping himself with that cause either, although there wasn't much he could offer in the way of confidence for it. "Just uh- the adrenaline finally wore off and I'm realizing now just how fucking hard Goro hit me."

He had gone from fighting and defeating Goro at the Tournament.

To immediately getting dragged through the timeline and tossed into the future.

Where he immediately went into another fight in the Outworld koliseum.

And now he was here, on his way to the Wu Shi Academy about twenty-five years ahead of his own time- and every part of his body felt like it wanted to die.

He had three broken ribs- at _minimum_.

He could feel the bones shifting in his left arm and could hear the occasional pop of his tendon whenever he pulled arm back.

A little hyper-extension in his right wrist; a persistent throbbing in the attached shoulder.

And a decently sized puncture wound from where Goro had stabbed him with one of his Dragon Fang blades; which admittedly, was one of his collected injuries that he was most worried about. It had been loosely packed already, but that wasn't to say it was packed correctly, especially considering how fast they had been pushed to come out here instead.

"Perhaps I should have left you with the Special Forces."

"Yeah, maybe," Kung Lao chuckled, although just barely, as he managed to straighten his back without further resistance- or consequence.

He ran a hand over his face, feeling the sweat that was still coating his skin, before he wiped it off on his tunic. It was hard to tell if the sweat was from their brief stint in Outworld, or from vomiting- or maybe from a deeper issue he wasn't aware of just yet.

Once he felt about as composed as he was going to get, he turned and made his way back onto the dirt trail they had previously been traveling on.

It was easy to notice the thinly-veiled look of concern on Liu Kang's face once he rejoined the man.

There was no doubt that the other Shaolin had heard just about everything- including the curse words sputtered out between each hurl.

Kung Lao was pretty certain that Liu Kang was biting his tongue at the amount of time he was wasting by doing so- but it wasn't exactly fun for him to have to stop every few yards or so and step off the trail to deal with the lingering sickness.

Then again, he also knew it wasn't fun for Liu Kang to have to deal with this either; although the man certainly had the easier end of the stick here.

"Let's keep going," Kung Lao ushered, as he waved the man on, "- before I have to stop again."

He tried to redirect his focus to his balance, to counting his steps and keeping himself moving along the partial dirt and stone path under foot. He figured if he kept himself focused, if he worried more about his legs than he did his ribs, then he probably wouldn't fall over, or get light-headed again.

Then again, trying to keep his head straight was becoming a bigger struggle, especially under yet another sun.

"We can rest again if you need to," Liu Kang offered, keeping easy pace next to him.

"We're on a bit of a time limit," Kung Lao reminded. "Raiden made that known before we left- and I've wasted enough of our time already."

"That doesn't mean-"

Liu Kang stopped himself before he finished.

And Kung Lao figured the man did so to stop himself from contradicting Raiden, which he would never do.

"I was there when he was talking about it," Kung Lao spoke in the sudden absence. "We need to get to the Grotto and get the Jinsei before Kronika, or whoever does- I guess, technically before _we_ do."

He was feeling shit enough as it was, and he hadn't even begun to accept the whole Revenant topic just yet.

After all, if everything they had been told was true, and if his own first thought was that the future versions of himself and Liu Kang would be at the Wu Shi Temple then... He still wasn't wrong in that regard. There was a good chance that their future versions would potentially be at the Wu Shi Temple, at the Dragon Grotto- but instead of working against Kronika, they would be working _for_ her.

Which meant that they could potentially be facing off with their future selves very soon.

The thought alone made him sick to his stomach, but for completely different reasons.

Lui Kang didn't respond.

And eventually a silence drifted between them as they walked.

Which was unlike them.

Admittedly, he was usually the one filling in the silence.

But right now, Kung Lao was afraid that if he opened his mouth something other than words was going to come out instead. He was getting through by keeping his jaw clenched, by breathing through his nose- slow, long breaths to keep from agitating his ribs, to keep from agitating the stab wound in his right side. It was too early to tell if the method was working, but he would give himself until the next bend in the trail to see if it was.

Liu Kang was usually pretty silent on his own.

Then again, he was usually in his own thoughts, running through the things Raiden had told them ahead of time.

And to be fair, given the situation, there was a lot to think about- especially for him.

But when Kung Lao glanced to Liu Kang next to him, he noticed that the man's eyes were cast downwards, just barely looking up enough to figure out his path, to make sure he wouldn't run into anything.

The telltale sign that the man was thinking.

But not in a good way.

If they weren't here, if they weren't in the middle of traveling, Liu Kang would probably be crouched down on the balls of his feet, knees to his chest instead. Just like he used to do when they were younger, when they were kids.

It was one of many things Kung Lao had gotten used to seeing and knew what it meant.

He stopped mid-walk and watched as the other Shaolin continued on for a few more paces ahead of him, before realizing that he was walking alone.

"Do you need another minute? We can stop," Liu Kang spoke, as he turned back to look at him.

And Kung Lao could see that look in the man's eyes now.

It was hard to describe if one didn't know what to look for.

But he did.

"What's going on?" Kung Lao asked. "You're making that face."

Liu Kang didn't even question him on the remark, which said enough on its own.

Not that the man would even try and deny it.

Instead, he watched as the other Shaolin looked away from him- to which he simply moved to step back into the man's line of vision.

"Hey, come on- eyes on me," Kung Lao redirected. "What is it?"

It was rare for Liu Kang to not tackle an issue head-on, or from the moment it materialized.

Not that Kung Lao was all that surprised that Liu Kang would be doing this now, especially given their circumstances, and given their situation. Especially given that they had little to no control over anything that was going on- and that the bigger picture here was proving itself to be much larger than either of them could really handle. Not right now at least.

But there was little Kung Lao could do to address the problem if he didn't know what the problem was to begin with.

Liu Kang sighed and closed his eyes for a moment; which was another giveaway that something was bothering him.

And when the man opened them again, they had that sort of castaway look to them.

"I keep thinking about what we've heard, about what everyone from this timeline has told us so far," Liu Kang finally started. "And it's surreal that all those events happened- that everything we've been told has really happened."

He paused, if only for a moment.

If only to get his thoughts together.

"It was really only an hour ago, maybe a little longer, that we were at the Tournament ourselves," he continued. "I watched you defeat Goro and I thought that was the end of it. But now I have everyone telling me that Shao Kahn killed you immediately after your victory. And I can't get it out of my head that I was- I don't know- that I was just a few seconds away from watching you get murdered in front of me?"

The throbbing in his ribs seemed to intensify at the memory of fighting Goro.

A memory.

As though to him it wasn't just an hour or more ago, just as Liu Kang had said.

As though the blood spilled during that fight wasn't still freshly caked on his arms.

This wasn't exactly the topic he thought Liu Kang was thinking of.

And it wasn't exactly a topic Kung Lao wanted to think on any more than he already had.

The information everyone had told him before, back at the Special Forces base, was still relatively new, still relatively raw.

Kung Lao had accomplished exactly what he wanted at the Tournament, exactly what he had set out to do- only to be struck down immediately after in the aftermath of his victory.

He never even got to celebrate it.

Never got to rub it in Raiden's face.

"Everyone we've talked to so far would say yes," Kung Lao replied, unsure of how else to answer the man's question- as blunt of a response as it was. "I wouldn't know- and I guess I never would've."

" _Lao_ -"

Wrong answer apparently.

"Look, I'm not exactly happy about it either," he continued. "I've just been trying not to think on it."

"I don't know how you can't," Liu Kang remarked.

"Well, everyone says I don't think anyways, so that's probably how," Kung Lao spoke, once more drawing the man's ire.

He couldn't exactly tell if he was making the situation better or worse for Liu Kang, but at the very least it kept the man talking. Even if it was on a subject he himself wasn't exactly thrilled about.

He gave a heavy sigh himself, much to the regret of his ribs, before he continued again. "I just... I don't like the thought that I did everything I could and still failed in the end."

Did he have an ego big enough that it eventually grew into a rather overwhelming sense of arrogance?

Most people would say yes- and he was accepting of it.

Could his pride be a bit soft at times?

Also yes.

But Kung Lao found it hard to believe that any sane person wouldn't be driven down a road of complete self-destruction after going through what he apparently did.

How could someone say that dedicating his entire life to the Shaolin, to Earthrealm wasn't enough? That training his entire life for essentially one single battle wasn't enough? He had been willing to give everything for that one battle just to restore familial honor and bring distinction back to a lost ancestral name. And he did; he put everything into the fight against Goro.

And he had found himself on the winning side of that fight- winning despite the odds that were stacked against him.

Only to immediately die to an asshole who couldn't stand the thought of losing.

Only to then be unwillingly resurrected under cursed magic, bringing complete shame to the same family he had worked so hard to honor.

He had given everything- and ended up completely thrown to the dogs.

So no, he didn't like to think about it.

And even if he did, Kung Lao knew the topic would just completely consume him; and knowing how he acted, how he operated, he wouldn't be able to stop talking about it- he wouldn't be able to stop obsessing over it.

And then they would be having this same conversation, but for completely different reasons.

"You didn't fail," Liu Kang reminded.

"Well, I didn't win either, brother," Kung Lao remarked. "We knew the Tournament was stacked us. We knew that with each iteration of the Tournament, the stakes were getting higher, but things were being turned against us more and more. We knew that Shang Tsung was rigging each and every fight that went on in front of him. And yet, no one did anything about it."

He had a lot of raw feelings about the Tournament, about how things had been handled- about what he was walking into.

Admittedly, he had spent nights arguing with Raiden about it, arguing that it was clear things weren't being played fairly. He had argued more than enough times that the Elder God's lack of interference, that Raiden's own lack of interference had been the reason for his ancestor's death in the first place. That their willingness to turn a blind eye to what Shang Tsung was doing made them just as guilty as the Sorcerer himself.

And now Kung Lao wondered if that outburst had been lead by his own sense of fear.

That despite everything Raiden had told him, that despite the God's own admittance to seeing him as a son, the man would still stand aside and turn a blind eye- no matter what happened.

And this timeline only proved that his fears had been correct.

"Am I surprised that Shao Kahn cheated because Earthrealm got ripped out of his grasp on the last possible chance- for a second time? No," Kung Lao spoke. "Am I surprised that no one tried to stop him? Not really. Apparently no one really gave a shit until after we were already dead, which sounds about right."

"I could've tried to stop him," Liu Kang started. "I could've done something- _anything_."

"There was nothing you could've done- or would've done," he reminded. "Your only option would've been to break the Tournament rules, like Shao Kahn did- and those were made by the Elder Gods. You won't even break curfew."

As soon as the words left him, Kung Lao regretted them.

He was getting worked up over his own thoughts, over his own feelings, which was fine to some extent- but he didn't need to make them into a personal attack. This conversation wasn't supposed to be about him, or at least, it probably wasn't. He still wasn't entirely sure where Liu Kang had been going with it, which was another reason why he shouldn't have hijacked it.

"I didn't mean-" Kung Lao started.

"I would break a hundred Tournament rules if it meant keeping you alive."

He felt himself still at the remark.

He heard Liu Kang give a heavy sigh and watched as the man tugged at the collar of his vest; yet another small giveaway.

"We grew up together, we trained together- we did everything together," Liu Kang continued. "You're the only family I have. And I can't shake the thought that I just sat there and did nothing- that I just sat there and let you die."

This conversation had never been about him.

It had never been about him winning, or about him dying.

It was entirely about what had happened on the sidelines.

Or perhaps, what didn't happen.

It was guilt that was driving the man to be preoccupied.

And now he felt like a complete asshole about the whole thing- about trying to figure out what was bothering Liu Kang, only to disregard it the instant he got preoccupied himself.

Despite his stoic outlook, Liu Kang occasionally wore his heart on his sleeve.

And he could see it now in the almost wounded expression on his face.

"We don't know that-" Kung Lao tried to assure.

"We do," Liu Kang interrupted. "It's what everyone was telling us, what everyone's _been_ telling us."

He was surprised at how quick the man was to fire back at him, to correct him.

There was even a small bite in the Shaolin's voice when he did.

"You did everything right, Lao. You beat Goro. You proved Lord Raiden wrong, you proved why Earthrealm needed to have you there; you proved that you weren't just a name. And I can't stop thinking that if Kronika had been even just a minute late in disturbing the timeline, I would be alone right now."

His reluctance in thinking about this situation had lead to him completely ignoring the what-if's, the might've been's.

And while Kung Lao was surprised that Liu Kang would be lingering on them, he couldn't fault the man for clinging to that one piece of information.

It was literally seconds that kept him separated from life and death, that kept the timeline itself separated from falling into complete disaster and despair- that kept it from leading into the future they were in now.

"But you're not," Kung Lao reminded, before he walked over to the man. He put his hands on Liu Kang's shoulders, feeling the tension that kept them stiff under his touch, before he squeezed them. It did little to ease the fight though. "I'm still here, aren't I? I'm right here."

Being so close to the other Shaolin, he could see the slight glaze in the man's eyes.

And he couldn't remember the last time he had seen Liu Kang cry.

"Look, here's the plan, when we get back to the Tournament, back to where we need to be in this timeline, I'll know what happens. And because of that, I'll know what to do, I can avoid him," Kung Lao spoke; a loose attempt at comfort maybe. It felt like his hands were tied though. "Or maybe, I won't even need to. I mean, if we kill Shao Kahn now, then we won't have to worry about him later. Which could be easier since we're not breaking any rules- we'll just be breaking his bones."

He could tell his words were having little to no effect on Liu Kang.

Then again, it felt more like incessant rambling the longer he talked.

And admittedly, he was also pretty certain that there was nothing he could say that would actually convince Liu Kang otherwise.

Everyone liked to complain and say that he was the stubborn one, but they had yet to meet Liu Kang when the man was fully convinced of something.

The only difference between them was that Liu Kang was usually a lot more polite about his stances.

And completely opposed to calling Raiden an asshole if needed.

"Come here," Kung Lao started, as he pulled Liu Kang in against him now. "I can't tell you what to think, or how to feel about this whole thing. I can tell you over and over again that things can be different this time, that things don't have to end the same way- but I don't know that either. But we'll figure this out, alright? Everything doesn't have to end here. We can fix it. We'll be fine. And when this is all over, I'll be sure to make you absolutely sick of me."

He heard Liu Kang give a soft chuckle, which was about as close to a sense of resolve as he was going to get out of the man.

The Shaolin put his arms around him and squeezed him tight- and Kung Lao heard the crack that resonated from his back seconds after.

He had to bite back the sudden urge to vomit before he buried his head into Liu Kang's shoulder, muffling himself into the man's leather vest.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Kung Lao spoke- outright lied.

And when he felt Liu Kang start to pull away, he tightened his grip on the man and pulled him back in.

"It's fine, it's fine- don't let it ruin the moment," he assured.

"I really should've left you with the Special Forces."

"Just for that, I'm going to make you nurse me back to health when we get back."


End file.
